Exploring the Audubon Mural Project: NYC Street Art for Endangered Birds

If you walk around the Northern Manhattan neighborhood of Hamilton Heights, you're bound to stumble upon beautiful artworks on seemingly every corner. But unlike other art collectives around New York City featuring an eclectic range of themes, this one focuses exclusively on birds — and not just any birds, but those North American species that could become extinct if nothing is done to address climate change. From stunning designs on storefront security gates to oversized murals covering an entire side of a building, it's time to explore one of the country's most ambitious and environmentally-focused street art initiatives, captivating birders and non-birders alike.

Join New York Adventure Club for an on-the-ground exploration of the Audubon Mural Project, a collaboration between the National Audubon Society and art dealer/collector Avi Gitler that aims to create murals of 314 climate-threatened North American birds — mostly throughout the neighborhood of Hamilton Heights, where famed American ornithologist John James Audubon once lived.

Led by licensed New York City tour guide Leigh Hallingby, our tour of this incredible collective will include:

• A brief introduction to the New York neighborhood of Hamilton Heights and impact of former resident / landowner John James Audubon (1785-1851)
• The origin story the Audubon Mural Project, which to-date, includes nearly 100 murals depicting over 138 bird species
• A close look at dozens of murals throughout the neighborhood of Hamilton Heights, along with commentary around the artists and their vision

See you there!

*Please bring a water bottle and comfortable pair of shoes as we’ll be doing a lot of walking!

**Our experience will conclude at Broadway and W. 164th St.

About Leigh

Leigh is a licensed NYC tour guide who specializes in Harlem, Morningside Heights, and the Upper West Side. She is passionate about exploring all five boroughs and beyond on foot, mostly through organized walking tours. Leigh is retired from a 36-year career as a non-profit librarian in New York City. She loves doing research about the neighborhoods in which she gives tours and sharing the information about them with attendees. Leigh is a feminist, collector, genealogist, and lover of arts, culture, and travel. She lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Testimonials

"The event guide Leigh Hallingby was super — very knowledgeable as well as a lively conversationalist. Her tour was both interesting and fun. Although it’s a longer tour than most, it never dragged — a testament to how engaged she kept us all. Highly recommended!" -Deb

"Enjoyable and interesting." -Shalom

"The tour guide Leigh was outgoing, informative, safe, and fun. I loved the detailed sheet provided that outlined the birds, artists, and more; I’ve kept it for keepsakes. The overview before we started also was nice. I appreciated the number of pieces we saw, making the event well worth my time rather than being a rush-through. Leigh answered all questions, was engaging, and made the event even better than I could’ve imagined. I learned a lot and had an unforgettable and joyous Sunday walking from each bird art piece to the next. The attention to detail and extra info on the artists and pieces made it all worthwhile. Thank you, too, for still hosting the event despite the only attendees being my friend and me. It meant a lot that Leigh still showed up for us two, and we got such a personal tour on a beautiful Sunday. I cannot recommend this walking tour enough, it’s a special one." -Megan

Disclaimer

Event takes place rain or shine.

By attending a New York Adventure Club experience, you accept our terms of service.

Categories: In-Person, Neighborhood Tours

Host or Publisher New York Adventure Club